JetBlue delivers flights (and smiles) to Worcester Airport

Wednesday

Apr 3, 2013 at 6:00 AMApr 4, 2013 at 12:00 PM

The enthusiasm was palpable as officials stood on the tarmac, wind whipping at their faces, and watched the jetliner touch down at Worcester Regional Airport. A marching band, a police drill team hoisting swords in the air and top officials - including the Massachusetts governor - greeted airline executives as they walked off the plane. And inside the terminal – usually a lonely building – a thick crowd of locals cheered wildly.

By Priyanka Dayal McCluskey TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

The enthusiasm was palpable as officials stood on the tarmac, wind whipping at their faces, and watched the jetliner touch down at Worcester Regional Airport.

A marching band, a police drill team hoisting swords in the air and top officials - including the Massachusetts governor - greeted airline executives as they walked off the plane. And inside the terminal – usually a lonely building – a thick crowd of locals cheered wildly.

The cheers were directed at David J. Barger, president and chief executive of JetBlue Airways Corp. Mr. Barger and his company received the type of welcome typically reserved for movie stars or popular politicians. And that is among the reasons he came here today to make a much-anticipated announcement: JetBlue is launching service from Worcester.

“I've never seen this kind of turnout,” Mr. Barger told the crowd. “I can't tell you how much (this) means to us.”

JetBlue will begin passenger service from Worcester on Nov. 7, starting with one flight a day to Orlando and another daily flight to Ft. Lauderdale. It will fly 100-seat planes but hopes to eventually use 150-seaters.

The airline is betting on an airport that lacks easy access from highways and has struggled for more than a decade to retain passenger service. It has been entirely devoid of commercial planes for more than a year.

Mr. Barger said the New England market is strong for JetBlue, which is why it makes sense to add Worcester to its slate of 79 other destinations.

“You just know when something feels right,” he said.

“When we make a commitment,” he added, “our intent is to be here long-term. Our intent is to grow it.”

The airline's decision comes after a very long and public campaign that included top JetBlue executives visiting Worcester – and tweeting about it – over the past several months.

JetBlue started considering the Worcester airport at the request of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns and operates the facility. Mr. Barger visited the airport about a year ago, then made a public appearance in Worcester last August, thrilling local fans of the airline by saying “Worcester feels very JetBlue.”

The courtship continued. Newly-installed Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn told Worcester business and civic leaders in January that “JetBlue is very interested in working with you and working with us.”

JetBlue executives toured Worcester later that month, where they met with business leaders and college presidents and again signaled their interest in the city.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, City Manager Michael V. O'Brien and Massport officials made their case for Worcester again in March, this time traveling to JetBlue headquarters in New York.

The airline's announcement to start service in November is slightly earlier than expected. JetBlue previously said that if it started service, flights would begin in 2014. Now, with service starting before Thanksgiving, JetBlue will be able to draw customers from the many Central Massachusetts residents who go south in the winter.

Public officials who welcomed JetBlue at the airport Wednesday noted that air service in Worcester will affect more than city residents.

“This is not just a victory for Worcester, it's a victory for the region,” U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said. “This is a major boost to our Central Massachusetts economy.”

Gov. Deval L. Patrick used the announcement to pitch his plan to raise taxes to pay for transportation improvements. JetBlue's announcement, he said, is an example of what happens when the state invests in growth.

“The lieutenant governor and I have asked all of you here in Worcester County and all around the commonwealth to consider in fresh ways whether we're prepared to sacrifice a little to get a whole lot more, a lot more days like this, a lot more flights like this,” he said.

JetBlue executives were treated to blue floral centerpieces, blue balloons and cupcakes topped with blue designs. Most of the public officials who greeted airline executives, including City Manager O'Brien, wore blue clothing.

Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Barger embraced several times on stage and joked that they were now BFFs.

“JetBlue is a perfect fit” for Worcester,” the city manager said. “We're ready to make this wildly successful.”

JetBlue's announcement comes five weeks after Massport authorized $32 million to upgrade landing systems at Worcester Regional Airport, an attempt to make the facility more attractive to major airlines. The project will take at least five years to complete.

Massport and public officials are hoping a name-brand airline will help revive an airport that was once busy but has struggled in recent years. Last year, Direct Air abruptly canceled flights and filed for bankruptcy, leaving many passengers with worthless tickets. Direct Air did not fly daily; still, 250,000 passengers used the Worcester airport between 2009 and 2012, according to Massport.

At its peak in 1989, the airport served 340,000 passengers.

Boston Logan International Airport, by comparison, served 29 million passengers last year. JetBlue is the largest and fastest-growing carrier at Logan, accounting for 25 percent of passenger traffic there.

Massport officials have said the Worcester airport will be increasingly important as Logan reaches capacity.

Massport acquired the formerly city-run Worcester airport in 2010 for more than $15 million. Since then, the agency has been losing most of the $5 million a year it spends to operate the airport.

The agency is waiving landing fees and other expenses for JetBlue in Worcester for two years, an incentive that amounts to about $275,000. Massport has also set aside $150,000 for marketing expenses. Mr. Barger said in an interview that incentives were not a factor in the company's decision.

“Any type of incentives -- we don't want any of those long-term, because it just doesn't support long-term sustainability,” he said.

[View the story "JetBlue announces service to Worcester" on Storify]

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